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“I’m confident they’re all in on it.”
Glisten regarded the other in his room skeptically, glancing back from where he’d been peering at himself through a mirror, trying to apply dark purple eyeshadow. Rodger was sitting against the side of his bed, angled away from the door with several flashcards and a notebook in front of him, gaze firmly focused on the papers in front of him.
“All of them? I don’t think we should be including the child,” he sighed, twirling the brush in his hand. “That seems a bit… overkill.” He hesitated, trying to place his words carefully. Rodger didn’t seem sensitive, by any means, but he couldn’t be completely confident that being too harsh wouldn’t make the other Toon shut him out.
Now it was Rodger’s turn to sigh, leaning back against the bed and burying his face in hands.
“She could be in on it,” he argued. “We both are fond of her. It isn’t impossible that she could be a spy.”
“She’s also five. Or something like that.” He raised an eyebrow, watching as the magnifying glass glowered slightly at him before shrinking away, relenting under Glisten’s own unimpressed look. “A child isn’t much of a threat, Rodger.”
A child that, I’m fairly sure, is also in a lot of danger, if we’re right. He wasn’t sure about everything Rodger said - he’d be a bit of a fool to do so. However, he was certain that the other Toons weren’t really great people, nor to be trusted. Rodger was right in one thing: something had happened to them, and it wasn’t a good idea to stay here longer than they had to.
“I… suppose. I may be being hasty.” You’re being paranoid, more like. “The insight is appreciated.”
“Of course it is,” he curled his lips into a smirk. “I’m incredibly insightful.”
Rodger tilted his head, regarding him. “I believe the key word you’d use would be ‘perfect’.”
Glisten stiffened. “I’m being specific,” he shot a glare down at the magnifying glass. “I can be perfect and incredibly insightful.”
His companion raised his hands in surrender. “All right, it was simply a suggestion. Inconsistencies could be-”
“I know what I’m doing,” he hummed, taking a deep breath, relaxing himself. “I should be fine.”
It wasn’t particularly difficult to play his role, after all. No one seemed very interested in what ‘Glisten’ was up to, as long as he threw on a smile and flattered himself a bit. He slid a notecard closer to himself, reading over the notes he’d made for himself.
‘Sometimes his ego brings up new issues, but he will always stand up for his friends and what’s right.’
He withheld an unimpressed sneer. Yeah, definitely, I was totally friends with those guys. The ego part was easy; it was nice to be able to get back at the other Toons for their attitude, sometimes. Less easy to act like he was buddy-buddy with them, when they hadn’t put much effort into it at all.
Well, if Rodger’s right, they’re just going to keep trying until I do the work for them. This seems like a nice balance. I want them to keep their distance.
Not every Toon was awful, though. Some were too shy to get snippy with him, and others were just generally pleasant. Razzle and Dazzle were nice. I’d talk to them more, if not for everything they’ve done.
Ah, how nice it’d be to forget he was kidnapped, and probably drugged. And then dragged into whatever nightmare that elevator held, without any idea of what was happening, or what to do.
He shut his eyes, taking another breath, careful not to crumple his notecard.
Those Toons… those were definitely no friends of his, he could be confident in that. He dragged his gaze back to Rodger, still on his floor. “Did you manage to find the schematics for the power system?” He hummed, tapping a bottle of nail polish on his desk to get Rodger’s attention back.
Rodger blinked, taking a second to think. Then, he straightened up, suddenly more aware. “Ah! Yes, I did.” He quickly got to his feet, gathering up his notes and setting them aside for a moment as he grabbed a folded paper from his trench coat pocket, unfolding it. “If I’m correct, disabling these mechanisms should cut off the lights, and they’ll need time to fix it.” He pointed to several circled areas on the blueprints, highlighting some wires and circuit boards.
Glisten tilted his head, thinking. “How much time?”
Rodger swirled his hand in the air idly. “Ah… Vee and Brightney seem to have some technical know-how… a-and Boxten? If they all get on one, I imagine it would only give us five minutes.”
“Five minutes? Rodger, we need more time than five minutes,” he hissed, groaning.
“It’s only the worst estimate,” he protested. “Unless our luck is exceptionally poor, it will take them time to find replacement parts. Our time will be fine, even with Toodles.”
“Because we are bringing her,” Glisten reminded sternly. “You need more sleep.” Rodger raised his hands again passively.
“Likely, and as do you. But! Too much to do. I’ll drop the point; I do believe you, after all,” he hummed, grabbing up his plans again. Glisten tried to ignore the stirring warmth in his chest. At least someone here has my back.
“Because I’m perfect,” he smirked.
“Because you’re perfect.”
“Exactly! You’re so smart, Rodger, I-” Glisten cut himself off as a series of sharp knocks sounded from his door. Rodger tensed up immediately, gathering the power schematics and tucking them away again.
The lamp’s voice came from behind the door. Brightney. “Glisten? Are you up? I know you’re mad at all of us, but don’t take it out on the others, okay? Usually you come greet them… please just be nice today?”
Others? Who am I greeting? “Yes, I’m up!” Glisten called back, disguising his annoyance for a moment. “I was just getting ready, you don’t need to scream at me.”
“I wasn’t even- fine. Fine, glad you’re up. Just come out soon, they’re in the lobby,” her footsteps faded away, as Glisten looked back to Rodger, who was uncomfortably just as confused.
“I’m guessing you have no idea what she’s talking about?”
“None,” Rodger shook his head, shifting nervously on his feet. “I don’t know if this bodes well for us. Are there… more of them?”
More names to memorize. More people to feign familiarity with…
Glisten bit his thumb, thinking. “It… must be. We can probably just visit quickly, then depart?”
Rodger hummed. “We can’t rule out the possibility this is what happened last time, and our time is up.”
What.
Glisten forced a laugh. ”I- I doubt that! Seems a bit too… out of the way, right? Wouldn’t they just… cut the fanfare?” Right. And not to mention I think they did something to the food. W-wait, what if they’re trying to pressure me into eating with them again…?
“You can teleport, they have to be roundabout. They even specifically mentioned you should be there. It’s the perfect setup,” the magnifying glass spun on his heels, pacing. “I don’t… I don’t have a plan for this.”
Glisten swallowed. Think…. Think rationally. “W-well, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Cosmo… he… he mentioned having a cousin, right? We’ve never seen her, so there must be other Toons we haven’t met yet.”
Rodger faltered in his steps, taking a forcefully deep breath, grabbing at his jacket idly. “R-right. Of course. Of course.” He sighed, mumbling a few numbers under his breath before soothing himself. “I would recommend avoiding food and drink, and staying longer than necessary. Just in case.” Don’t have to tell me twice.
“Maybe I can say I’m ensuring you finally get some sleep, and depart after initial greetings.”
“Would you do that?” Rodger looked at the floor, thinking.
“Of course I would! I’m not an-”
“No, no, I meant more if the others would expect you to. Besides that, I don’t need to sleep that badly.”
“I disagree, you look abysmal.”
“Not everyone can look as beautiful as you, Glisten,” Rodger deadpanned, shaking his head as he walked towards the door, mercifully ignoring Glisten’s startled squawk. “We’ll just have to be careful.”
Glisten tugged his sweater down a bit, frowning as he hurried after the supposed detective. “I don’t like this.” This is too sudden. I don’t know what I’m walking into.
“Neither do I, but if Brightney personally wanted to fetch you, your absence will be noticed.”
“Would they care? I’d be saving them the hassle of dealing with me.”
“If they didn’t, no one would have come here,” he pointed out. “They seem rather happy to avoid us if allowed.”
Glisten withheld a groan, as they both slowly made their way from the Toon Room hallways, back to Gardenview’s main lobby. “No one asked for you, you could probably bail.”
“Unlikely. Brightney was probably going to my room after yours.”
“You can’t prove that.”
“I’m using something called ‘common sense’,” he hummed, letting Glisten take the lead as they came closer to the lobby. Glisten could make out several overlapping voices, not arguing or anything, but merely chatting. So everyone’s gathered…
That wasn’t particularly good. Rodger seemed to be of the same opinion, grimacing faintly as he drew back a few steps.
Glisten took a breath. If he was expected to greet someone, he would greet them. He could play off any gaps in his memory. Hopefully, he could do it fast, and get it done with. Rodger would back me up in anything I do. Maybe if I act annoyed enough, they’ll push me away faster?
He stepped into the lobby fully, blinking at the change of lighting due to the center skylight. As far as he could gather, every Toon was there, but his focus quickly fell on four he didn’t recognize at all.
There was a dark brown rabbit, happily jumping from foot to foot as she darted around, waving cheerfully to other Toons. She hugged Yatta, who seemed to be rapidly trying to talk to both her and the balloon animal guy she was so fond of. The rabbit turning her back to Glisten allowed him to notice her whipped cream tail. A… chocolate rabbit?
A tall butterfly was being accompanied by Flutter, the smaller butterfly flapping by his side as he seemed to be trying to engage with several Toons as well. They look alike. Scraps and Goob were siblings, if he recalled correctly… did Flutter have a sibling, then? But why wouldn’t her sibling be here all the time?
One was a lot harder to spot, but Glisten caught a brief glimpse of… a flower basket? She was keeping her head down, trying to not be obtrusive, even as she shuffled over to Toons and tried to talk to them. She was nervous, and Glisten couldn’t shake the brief concern that she was perhaps like himself, and Rodger. She doesn’t seem comfortable.
A brief glance back at Rodger, seeing the Toon eyeing the scene skeptically, reminded Glisten that was a theory he couldn’t act on without good reason.
With the basket was seemingly an older Toon, walking with a cane. The older Toon had spectacles on, and had a pleasant smile on his face, seemingly unbothered by the flower basket’s constant hovering. An egg. Okay…
Four new Toons. Toons Glisten should know, since he apparently ‘greeted’ them before. A problem. He gritted his teeth, before schooling his expression and leaving Rodger behind to approach the congregation.
While his intentions had been to try and approach the potential butterfly siblings, he was intercepted by the rabbit, jumping up in his face. He startled back, blinking rapidly. She has no clothes on. Okay.
“Glisten! Sorry! You’re not usually this late, so I wanted to hop in before you ran off!” The rabbit snickered, evidently pleased with herself. Glisten rolled his eyes at the pun.
“You’re forgiven. Never say those words in that order in my presence again,” he snarked, looking as unimpressed as he could. If the fishbowl doesn’t get a pass, neither do you, bunny rabbit.
“Got it!” She did a quick salute, giggling to herself before darting back over to Yatta’s side. Well. At least that was an easy conversation to have.
He shook his head, refocusing himself. Just as he took his next step, he was once more intercepted, this time by a hand grasping his arm firmly. He stopped, glancing back behind himself with a glare.
Sprout, the meddlesome strawberry he was, levelled his glare back. “Glisten, whatever mood you’ve been in, at least try to be nice to the holiday Toons? They’re not here forever, you know.” Bitch? I barely talked to them, yet.
Glisten pried the pink hand off his arm, sneering. “Of course. I’m not so callous as to ruin our friends’ visit,” he huffed. Sprout seemed unimpressed, expression flickering with something he couldn’t quite parse out.
“...right. Fine.” He sighed, backing up. “You just seemed-”
“I seem perfect, I know,” he interrupted, waving him off. “Now, may I get back to socializing?” Sprout shifted uncomfortably.
“Yeah, okay.” He turned on his heel, going back over to where Cosmo was chatting with the egg and the basket. Glisten felt… a bit bad, but Sprout was nice words with a terrible tone. He considered himself lucky Sprout had deigned him with a warning, this time, rather than simply just lecturing him for no damn reason.
He leveled a glare at the retreating Toon’s back, only turning away properly once he’d grown tired of letting his ire fester. I’m already done with all of this.
“Glisten?”
He yelped, jumping back as the tall butterfly Toon he’d been looking for suddenly appeared in front of him, having approached while his back was turned. The other Toon also recoiled, wings flapping in alarm, yet not actually moving him aloft. His potential sister also moved back, glancing at Glisten curiously.
“I didn’t see you there,” he mumbled, clearing his throat. “Yes, that’s my name… it’s good to see you.” He smiled, trying to reclaim the moment he had fumbled. The butterfly blinked.
“Sorry to startle you; just wanted to say hi. I won’t hold you for too long, Flutter said you haven’t been feeling the best?” The Toon in question whistled softly.
This is twice now. Am I being too jumpy? He waved a hand dismissively again. “It’s fine, I was just lost in thought for a minute. You didn’t actually scare me.” Flutter whistled again, raising an eyebrow. “I was not startled, no.” He huffed.
The taller Toon shifted uncomfortably, glancing between them both during their minor, minor argument. “Uh… okay. I’ll just- I’ll just go? We can go.” He stepped back, Flutter shooting Glisten a sharp glare before following him off.
I’m a bit too good at driving people off.
He sighed. He still didn’t have any clue who he’d actually just talked to, nor what he was expected to do with them. Maybe he really could just say a vague ‘hello’ and back off? That would be a wonderful mercy.
I need to find Rodger.
Abandoning the theoretical quest to talk to the trembling basket and her elderly escort, he swept his gaze around the lobby. It wasn’t impossibly crowded, so it was fairly easy to locate his companion. Rodger had at least moved from where he’d been left, lingering near the entrance to a small side room, back to a window. Tisha was in front of him, speaking softly enough Glisten couldn’t quite hear her.
He started walking, even before taking in the magnifying glass’s slightly uncomfortable expression.
“-hiding!” Tisha scolded gently, tilting her head. “It’s impolite, you know that.”
Rodger spread his hands out inoffensively, placating. “I’m aware, my intention wasn't to offend. Interrupting their conversations would still be rude.”
“They wouldn’t mind! You should socialize, you haven’t-” She cut herself off, sensing Glisten behind her. The small Toon turned around, giving Glisten a soft huff. “Glisten. Hello. I don’t suppose I can convince you to get him to talk to the others?”
Glisten crossed his arms. “I’m not his babysitter.”
She frowned. “I should’ve expected that. I’m glad you’re trying to talk to the others, at least. Hopefully it snaps you out of whatever this all is.” She turned away and left, shooting Rodger a stern look, and Glisten a more pitying glance.
Confusing little box of tissues.
He stepped over to Rodger, who was rubbing his shoulder nervously, gaze on the floor. “Are you hiding?”
Rodger glanced up at him immediately, shooting him a soft glare. “No! At least, I don’t believe I am.” He stood up straight, adjusting his trenchcoat. “It’s just… loud.”
He blinked. “Yes, that’s what happens when everyone assembles into a room and talks.”
The detective shot him a look. “You’re hilarious.”
“I am! I’m glad you noticed,” he took Rodger’s hand, pulling him off the wall. “Now, let’s do some socialization, and go.”
“I don’t-” He ignored Rodger’s soft protests, dragging him over to the last two mystery Toons Glisten had yet to cross off the checklist. The basket and egg had briefly concluded their discussions with the other Toons, instead focusing on each other. The basket rocked on her heels nervously, speaking in a low tone, though she jolted when she noticed Glisten’s approach, standing up a little straighter and throwing on a timid smile.
“O-oh! Hi!” She chirped, waving. The egg followed her gaze onto them and smiled warmly.
“Ah, there you two were. I was wondering if you’d forgotten me,” he chuckled, adjusting his glasses.
“Of course not, how could I?” Glisten grinned. “I just needed to fetch this one from hiding.” He gestured to Rodger, who focused back into the conversation.
“I was not hiding.”
“I was fetching him from where he was not hiding.”
The older Toon gave them both a fond, lopsided smile, then turned to the flowery Toon at his side. “Bassie, my dear, how about talking to Shelly? I’m certain she would love to show you her sewing projects she worked on since you’d last talked. I should catch up with these two while they’re here.”
The other, Bassie, nodded rapidly. “O-oh! You’re right! I did ask her a-about that… thanks, I’ll leave you to it.” She once more waved at Glisten and Rodger, darting off to where Shelly was… seemingly struggling to actually get someone to talk to her. Ouch.
The egg shook his head fondly, refocusing on them both. “How about we distance ourselves from the crowd, a bit?” He nodded his head back, turning to proceed further into the lobby, closer to the elevators and the center tree. “I’d like to properly be able to hear the people I’m talking with.”
Unfortunate, because I would rather you not talk with us at all, really.
He followed, ignoring his gut instinct to pull out an excuse and retreat. He had no interest in holding a long conversation with someone who might know him better than he knew himself, right now. Or another Toon who didn’t wear any damn pants.
Nevertheless, did he need to be wary of visiting Toons? Were they involved? Do they know?
“Please, don’t let us take up too much of your time,” Rodger spoke up gently, as the other Toon sat down on a blue bench, already shaking his head. “We have no intention to intrude.”
“Nonsense, I have all the time in the world for you two. And there’s no need to pretend you wouldn’t be much happier away from all that noise, right now,” the old Toon kept up his pleasant smile, as if it had been permanently glued to his face. He winked at Rodger at that last comment, chuckling fondly.
“I… suppose. Thank you,” the magnifying glass nodded, hiding his discomfort, clasping his hands behind his back, glancing back at the slightly-further-away crowd. Glisten sidled closer to him, hoping to help hide hands he knew were trembling.
“So, how have things been since the last visit?” He directed his focus onto the other Toon, whose smile wrinkled in faint amusement.
“Same as always; afraid nothing particularly exciting happens to us, off-season,” he hummed, setting his cane down to the side of himself on the bench. “It’s always your lot that has the exciting going-ons. Of course, I have many more stories you haven’t heard, if you’d like those.”
I get the feeling I don’t want to get him started.
“I’ll have to pass for now,” he twirled the end of one of his ribbons around his wrist. “And, unfortunately, no one’s been giving me anything interesting to talk about.” He feigned a slight whine, pouting softly.
“Ohhoho.... Perhaps they’ve finally grown wise that you’re bringing gossip back to me?”
“I doubt it; I am excellent at keeping secrets. I’m a locked box,” he boasted, placing a hand on his chest.
“A locked box opens for only one, Glisten,” the elderly Toon smiled, glasses glinting. “And I’m quite certain you have opened it for two.”
He kept his expression as it was before, despite the confusion. Who else would I have…? He cleared his throat, deliberately ignoring Rodger at his side for the moment. “Impossible. I’m being accused. This is…” he fumbled for the word. “Libel.”
“It’s actually slander,” Rodger piped up, very rudely defeating the purpose of ignoring him. “Libel is printed.” Rodger, why do you know this?
“Your face is printed.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It does. To me, at least, maybe you’re just-” Glisten faltered in his retort, both of them jumping a little as the Toon on the bench laughed, reminding them that they were not alone.
“It’s good to see you’re both getting along so well,” the Toon smiled broadly, softly like he truly meant it. Glisten stamped down his discomfort. None of this is safe. Don’t trust it. “Even after all of this.” He glanced around the lobby, towards the elevators, that serene, loving smile faltering slightly.
So he knows. He tried to ignore the comment about himself and Rodger, to not dwell on what that could entail, but it was a struggle. Were we friends, with our memories? Or were we always trying to escape? Are we actually friends, even now?
He swallowed down the discomfort that thought provided him. “Of course,” he simply said, unsure what answer was the safest to give.
For the most part, the Toons had been happy to leave them alone. They had no interest in a prickly attitude, and brushed it off as a bad mood, or simply ego. He could hold a conversation precisely as long as he wanted and felt safe doing so. Glisten hadn’t had to truly try to get the space he wanted, when he wanted it.
However, no Toon really wanted to ask about him, save his alleged grumpiness as of late. He had no stories to give, nor fond memories to share, nor any idea on how he was supposedly used to interacting with the visiting Toons. Friendlier than I’m treating the others, I’m sure, but how friendly? How long?
Their problem fortunately gave him mercy, by shifting his attention to Rodger. “Even if Glisten doesn’t have any gossip for me, how about your investigations? Or how about the little one? She greeted me a bit before I saw you two, of course.” Ah.
Investigations. The word was like a shiny coin tossed into a room, a temptation to see who would be the first to dive for it, to expose themselves to the watching crowd. Glisten himself tensed, but he was not the one the eyes studied.
Rodger had explained it to him before. His room had several records of things the Rodger of before had looked into, records of other Toons, and far, far too much information. A lot of it pointed to secrets, things that Rodger specifically seemed to be kept from, and plenty of reasons to not feel safe. The Main Toons generally seemed to shy away from him, and the others were not any more eager to give information.
Investigations were not something Rodger was supposed to be doing. When the few Toons who bothered to inquire got an answer, they’d been more upset than not if he actually indicated he was looking into anything, no matter what it was. It was only when he said he wasn’t that they’d been pleased.
Investigations were a trick question. They were a snare, laid at their feet.
So, Rodger stepped over them.
“Toodles?” He hummed, trying to place natural inflection in his tone where his metaphorically raised hackles had removed it. “She’s been doing fine, I believe. The other day, she requested Glisten help her with makeup. I supervised.”
“Ah, unfortunate I couldn’t get to see that,” the other Toon shook his head. “If you have the supplies for it, I think I’d quite like to play a part there.” He glanced over to Glisten, request evident.
He waved a hand. “I absolutely have the supplies, assuming you don’t want to also be drowned in glitter.”
“Hmm,” the egg pretended to think for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. I can’t see ‘drowned in glitter’ as my color, after all.” He laughed softly.
“Perhaps the accessories?” Glisten tilted his head. “Brighten up the rim of those glasses… ah, speaking of which, they’re smudged.” He blurted, blinking a moment as he actually paid more attention to who he was speaking to.
The old egg laughed once more. “A bit delayed, no? But I thank you, always so difficult to notice,” he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, white cloth he could use to clean the lenses. “I can always count on you for that.”
“Don’t sell me so short,” he grinned. “You can count on me for many things.”
“Of that I do, you don’t need to worry.” The other’s smile softened fondly, gently, as if those words were supposed to sincerely mean anything.
Which they didn’t. We know what you’re doing.
“I’m not worried,” he shook his head, opening his mouth to hold the other Toon’s attention a little longer, but failed.
“Rodger, I am curious what you’ve been working on, still. The last time, you’d had quite a bit to share,” the old Toon said, fortunately still cleaning off his glasses, missing how Rodger’s eye twitched, taking the critical second to scrutinize their ‘guest’. Rodger kept himself still, taking a long, yet quiet breath, steeling himself for what was most certainly now a threat.
Last… time?
Glisten had to resist the urge to sneer. Was this how they’d been caught before? Rodger had told the wrong person, and they’d been reset? Glisten couldn’t imagine a more trusting Rodger, one who would’ve said anything, but evidently this try was unique.
“We’re supposed to like them,” Rodger had insisted, before. “This is our one advantage: we don’t.”
The Rodger before him now simply shook his head, hiding the dullness in his eye the second it had materialized. “Afraid I must disappoint, today. I’ve opted to take a break from all of that.” He feigned a sigh, letting his shoulders slump slightly.
Once more, that steadfast smile faltered, tinged with concern. “Truly? Rodger, in all my years, I have never once heard you take a break. Is everything alright?” Glisten choked on air, which Rodger fortunately covered with his own response.
“Yes, I assure you,” he shook his head, spreading his hands placatingly once more. “It just… seems others have grown a bit displeased with my habits, so I am trying to accommodate.” He kept his voice steady, practiced and firm, even as he had to return his hands to his back.
That egg guy seems… actually worried. Glisten kept a frown from forming, reminding himself that they were in danger, and no one would truly be worried. Considering what was happening to them, what had already been done to them, they had no friends. Nobody who was worried would do all of this. I can remember that much.
“I…” The other Toon faltered, finally, considering the answer. “Is that something you genuinely want to do, my boy?”
“Of course. Everyone seems far more relaxed, right now. Considering the situation with the Twisteds, it is the least I can do for them.”
Glisten stepped in, seeing the egg’s face still twisted with discomfort. He placed a hand on Rodger’s shoulder. “Also, hello? He needed more hobbies. Now he can get some.” He hummed, leaning a bit on the detective, who adjusted his balance.
“That is what Astro said, yes,” Rodger agreed. “If something was wrong, I would inform you. And the others.”
“And that is something I’ve always trusted,” the egg sighed, voice going soft. “So I will leave it at that. Though, is the… break part of why you’re not wearing your usual attire?” He opted for a slight smile, trying to divert the subject.
“Ah… yes. I’m trying new things,” Rodger nodded, finally moving to slightly push Glisten off himself.
“First time for everything, I suppose,” the Toon laughed, slightly unsure. Are we… giving the wrong answers, somehow? “Anything inspire you to-
Glisten grabbed Rodger’s hand. “As much as this entire conversation has been appreciated, I did want him for things, so we should be going.”
Rodger was not comfortable. Glisten was not comfortable. He wanted them out. Politeness to the egg be damned, he was taking his departure, before he asked too many questions. Before we fuck something up that we cannot unfuck.
The other Toon paused for a moment, before nodding politely, grabbing his cane and slowly standing from the bench. Glisten took the bit of time to start moving, but the egg still interrupted.
“Pardon, I do just have one request, before you go.”
Don’t stop.
He stopped, pulling Rodger to his side. “Just the one.” Glisten echoed. “This is a bit time-sensitive.”
“Of course,” the egg smiled serenely. “Could you tell me my name?”
His lungs stopped, breath halting in his chest, stalling and faltering like a broken music box. Glisten blinked, taking in the Toon still standing up, still watching.
The man’s face hadn’t faltered, even when asking something so utterly confusing and dangerous. His smile did not waver, even in the following seconds of silence. He watched them evenly, patiently.
Glisten felt Rodger’s grip tighten, protective and reactive. He doesn’t know, either.
Had there been posters? Had there been a way to avoid this? There must’ve been posters. Rodger just hadn’t had time to read them.
Glisten forced a sharp laugh. “That’s a ridiculous question! You can try again; what did you really want to ask?”
“Oh, no, no. I want you to tell me my name, I’m certain. Either one of you can do it.”
“Egg… something,” came Rodger’s voice, impossibly quiet and soft, meant only for Glisten and Glisten alone. The perks of not having a mouth, I suppose. A guess was still a guess, and while Glisten agreed with the logic, there were no promises.
Boxten, Brightney, Tisha, Yatta… there’s a theme. But we’ve also got Goob, Cosmo… Rodger himself is an outlier for his name.
They shouldn’t be playing this. They’d been caught, exposed, and… Glisten squeezed Rodger’s hand.
“Is there a reason you’re asking for that? Have you forgotten?” Rodger feigned compassion, expression melting in concern.
“I’m perfectly fine, it’s you both I’m worried about.” I need someplace safe. The safest place. The egg’s cane tapped on the floor as he took a step closer. “If you haven’t noticed, you’re both acting very strange, and I would like to help.”
“A small change in habits does not constitute strange-”
“You, my boy, have been hiding your hands behind your back this entire conversation, hoping that I won’t notice that halfway through our chat they started shaking. Glisten, you have apparently been in a foul mood the past month, but if Rodger is to be believed, you would rather run into the elevator than take it out on your friends.” We need to think. He’s buying me time but I don’t-
“You have missed a bit, there’s no need to-”
“All of this also ignores the glaring issue that neither of you have been comfortable talking to a single person in this room, including myself. When you both were younger, you did not leave the other’s side if you believed they were in trouble, and that is exactly what you are doing now.”
“We are hardly-”
“And if you are not afraid of me, then why are you backing away?” The egg’s glasses shimmered, catching the light. Glisten blinked, realizing that they had been moving further away, Rodger’s grip tight and nearly painful. Their backs were against the raised central platform, the tree behind them, where the other Toon stared across.
Glisten squeezed Rodger’s hand back, and instinctively pulled him against his chest. They needed to go, now, and he pulled on whatever invisible strings would take them there, shutting his eyes to block out the sudden flash of light that enveloped them, hoping that wherever this trick took them, it would be away.
-
There were many times in his life where Eggson could think, confidently, that he had made a mistake, or that he could have done better.
He could have perhaps mended the rift between Cocoa and Bassie before it had fully severed. He could have encouraged Bassie to spread her wings more when she was younger. He could have done more to assure Flyte not everything had to be his responsibility.
There were also many things he knew he had done good.
He had regaled Toons with stories, made them laugh, and helped them feel cared for. He had stopped Rodger from being scrapped for things he couldn’t yet control. He had provided stability for Glisten where he’d had none, so long ago. He tried his best to offer his wisdom where it was needed and asked for.
Right now? He was unsure what he had done.
The spinning mirror had faded with the bright light, sound trailing off into nothingness, muffled by the discussions from other Toons that still carried through the lobby, unaware. Eggson wasn’t even certain they could’ve heard the teleporting, from this distance.
He had miscalculated.
Rodger had been jittery, doing very well to hide it, but not enough. What Eggson had initially read as discomfort due to a large crowd and an echoing room hadn’t faded once isolated from it. He’d still been too quiet, too stiff. He’d seen Rodger feeling threatened too many times in his youth to miss when he felt it now.
He’d focused on the wrong one.
Rodger had clearly been buying time, and he’d entertained it, because Glisten had seemed less… ready to flee. Agitated, perhaps. Defensive. Hiding it well, of course. Eggson’s mistake had been not studying the one he knew less. He’d hoped Glisten would refrain from teleporting, because there was nowhere else to go.
He didn’t know why they were scared. He didn’t know why Glisten was keeping people at arm’s length, or why Rodger had shied away from everything. He didn’t know why they were hiding it. He did know that whatever it was, it pertained to the Toons themselves. There was no recognition, there, no expectations of what anyone would say or do.
Memory loss was an utterly ridiculous explanation, but one that seemed somehow likely. He had somewhat asked it as a joke, considering if they had answered he might’ve been able to draw a laugh from them. He hadn’t… quite expected them to not be able to answer at all.
He could also grant that he’d pressed too hard, and too fast. He had hoped that he could get Rodger to debate, to give him something to indicate he was wrong, or simply just tell him what the problem was in the first place.
I suppose this is why Rodger was the detective, and not myself.
That plan hadn’t worked, even remotely. Sprout had come up to him, alarmed, questioning the sudden presence of two Toons several floors below. Eggson had kept the explanation short, urging the other to collect a few Toons for an expedition and simply go.
Six floors down was not a heavy task, not with Flyte and himself doing machines, while Sprout tried to hold the Twisteds’ attention for as long as possible. Toodles and Astro were plenty good for backup, as well.
No, no. Getting to their wayward Toons had been no issue. Retrieving them had also been of little issue, despite Eggson’s expectations, though not for the reasons he’d hoped.
“Son, you’re going to have to let me help you,” Eggson had whispered softly, reaching out a hand that was swiftly rejected by Rodger, one hand clamped to his side as it bled slowly. “We can’t fix either of you up here.”
Glisten and Rodger had hidden themselves in one of the rare back rooms on the floor, unable to not leave a trail of ichor to their location. Not that it had changed anything, considering Sprout had known the moment they’d started getting hurt.
“C’mon, please? We gotta go,” Toodles pleaded, taking Glisten’s hand urgently. She’d given up trying to convince Rodger, gaining no ground even as injured as he was. “Your Twisted’s scary.”
Scary, both in that Twisted Glisten had nearly mauled the both of them, and that he was still agitated. Vee’s Twisted was lingering enough to ensure they would regret being seen at all, without being prepared.
Glisten had hesitated, eyeing Eggson with genuine fear, Rodger held close at his side, despite both of them being equally battered. “I don’t trust you.” He stated confidently, defiantly, though he wasn’t sure who he thought he was defying, or what.
“I imagine not. We wouldn’t have come all the way down here to hurt you, however.”
Glisten laughed, then immediately regretted it as he jostled his injuries too much. “-ngh. You’re just collecting an investment.”
Toodles frowned, uncomfortable, and Glisten’s anger dissipated slightly as he took her in, replaced with guilt.
Astro had needed to step in. Both of them were nearly dead on their feet, but had enough life in them to resist anything himself and Toodles had tried. It hadn’t made him feel any better, watching them collapse against their will.
He’d never been so relieved the Toons had access to the clinic, still, and that Sprout and Cosmo knew what they were doing when it came to injuries. Glisten had been particularly roughed up, one arm and both legs fairly battered before he’d somehow managed to escape. Rodger had taken two hard hits to his torso, one that had opened up his side.
It had been lucky that they’d gotten the chance to hide at all.
Eggson waited patiently, in that clinic, cane resting at his side as he sat in a chair that was brought in. Rodger and Glisten were both still sleeping, but he gathered that wouldn’t last very long.
He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.
Help them, he knew that much. They were terrified, unwilling to accept assistance from anyone but possibly the other, and weren’t talking.
That did not mean he knew entirely what they needed. An ‘investment’, he’d said. Glisten certainly didn’t think anyone cared about them.
He couldn’t prove that, if what he’d already seen was any indication. Both Rodger and Glisten could be exceptionally stubborn, and if neither was willing to believe him, he had little he could say to convince them of anything.
Even if I have been forgotten, and how it hurt inside to think of something like that being permanent, I have not forgotten them.
Memories made up only so much of a Toon, and Eggson had known Rodger and Glisten from long before they had become who they were now. He still recalled the child who had screamed and raged, because everything had been too much, and there was never any escape. He still recalled the child who had wept and sobbed, because there had been too little of what he’d needed, and it was always just out of his reach.
They always said something, even if no one had listened enough to understand it, even now.
Rodger was not ‘finally understanding’ that he needed to do something else with his life, he gave the answers he thought would give the least attention. Glisten had not ‘been in a bad mood’, he’d been trying to cut things short to get away. If Eggson had been any different, he imagined he would feel far more upset than he did.
These things are not hard to tell. In what world would Rodger stop doing what he genuinely loved, and what world would Glisten try to isolate himself?
There were no such worlds, without something having gone horribly wrong. Shame on them, Eggson thought, secretly, knowing it would not be fair to voice it aloud, this could have been found sooner.
Glisten stirred, first, pulling Eggson from his musings. The mirror’s eyes blinked open slowly, tiredly, then snapped open, all-too-aware. He sat up, scanning the room. Glisten tensed, seeing Eggson, but it did not stop the other Toon from immediately getting to his feet, moving to where Rodger was still asleep and grabbing onto him.
For a brief, horrible moment, Eggson expected Glisten to teleport away again.
That moment did not come to pass, as instead Glisten glared at Eggson, tone accusing.
“What did you do?”
Eggson blinked. “Brought you back up to the main levels, and Sprout and Cosmo patched up your injuries.”
“No, you-” Glisten shook his head, shaking Rodger awake without looking at him. “You knocked us out! What did you do?”
“Astro simply let you both rest so we could move you. Nothing more.”
“Bullshit, there’s no way-” Rodger tugged on Glisten’s hand, pulling him closer to whisper. Whatever he said, it made Glisten tense, eyes wide, before they hardened defensively once more. “Fine. You healed us. What do you want, then?”
You’d think I had done something personal to him. Eggson withheld a sigh, keeping himself still and as inoffensive as possible. “I would like to know what’s wrong. You don’t know me, and you don’t seem to know anyone.”
Rodger huffed a laugh, tense. “What’s wrong should be obvious. Are you unwilling to guess, in case it happens the next time?” What?
“I… don’t understand the question. Yes, you don’t remember us, what I don’t know is why that makes you afraid of us.”
“Because you-!” Glisten cut himself off, growling softly, crossing his arms against his chest. “It’s done! It’s over! You caught us, you don’t have to rub it in!”
“I’m not trying to rub anything in,” Eggson pointed out, frowning softly. “Neither of you have done anything wrong.”
That had apparently been the wrong thing to say. Glisten barked out a sharp laugh, forcing a grin. “Hah! Everything about all of this has been wrong! We weren’t made right, weren’t fixed up right, and haven’t been acting right this whole time, and everyone’s just barely been tolerating it!” His voice rose, prompting Rodger to get up, holding him back from approaching Eggson.
I don’t understand any of this.
“...Made… right? I’m a bit lost,” he admitted, “but you are with friends.” Rodger rolled his eye. Eggson continued as if he hadn’t seen it. “And you aren’t in trouble.”
“Then why are we here?” Rodger questioned, deadpan. “With an interrogator, with people who keep trying to trip us up?” Is that what I am, to you?
“I want to help. That’s what the others want, too, but I understand none of that is believable.”
“It isn’t.”
Eggson took a breath, refocusing himself. “You both can stay here as long as you’d like. You can even leave, though I cannot promise the others won’t ask questions. You can tell me to leave, and I will.”
“Why would you ever do that?” Glisten spoke up again. “I could just teleport us away, again.”
“You could,” he agreed.
“...and that would be bad for you.”
“Immensely.”
“Then why?!”
“If you teleported away, it would be because you didn’t feel safe. I’m not here to trap you. I don’t want to trap you.” Glisten faltered slightly, glancing over to Rodger, who seemed uneasy. “I can wait. I told you both I have all the time in the world for you, and I meant it.”
“Then leave,” Rodger ordered, still holding Glisten back, staring at Eggson coldly.
“Alright,” he nodded, grabbing his cane and getting up. He began walking towards the door, only stopping with Glisten’s voice.
“Wait,” the mirror shook his head, shooting Rodger a slight glare. “You’re being-” His voice went quieter, as the two delved into a very short, somewhat heated argument.
“-there's no reason to-”
“-he’s the only one who’s been-”
“-you’re utterly careless!”
“-immensely paranoid!”
The back-and-forth finally stopped with Rodger giving up first, crossing his arms and moving a bit behind Glisten, guarded. The other Toon looked back at Eggson, somewhat relieved to see he hadn’t moved further.
“Stay.”
“Rodger doesn’t seem to approve,” he hummed, cautiously.
“It’s what he wants,” Rodger shrugged, as if that was the entire end of the discussion.
“...I see. Then I’m staying.” He moved back to his chair, sitting down with a slight sigh he couldn’t avoid. I have very little clue if this is helping.
If there was one thing Rodger and Glisten ever wanted, it was to be listened to. He could give them that, even if he understood very little of what they were thinking, or what they needed.
“Excellent! Because if you mean what you said, then I want to test it,” Glisten smiled, slightly sharp. Rodger looked briefly surprised, then that expression slipped into fondness. Fondness that very much vanished the second he realized Eggson was looking, however. Glisten continued. “Would the other Toons come in this room at any point?”
Oh dear… “No, unless someone was as hurt as you all were… which shouldn’t occur. I insisted it would be best to give you all space.”
“Perfect! You’re staying in here, then, until I say you can go.”
He couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Is holding me hostage for a purpose?”
“Absolutely. If you’re telling the truth-”
“Which he isn’t.”
“-shut up. If you’re telling the truth, then you can help us.”
Eggson sat up a little straighter. Ah. An olive branch. A simple one. He had no intention of tricking them. “You would tell me what’s troubling you?” Outside of the memory loss, because that doesn’t explain… all of this.
Glisten exchanged a brief look with Rodger, who seemed uncomfortable but willing, then nodded to Eggson. “As long as you don’t lie, we’ll tell you the truth.” His eyes blazed with an unspoken challenge. “And you’ll either prove us right, or prove us wrong.”
Eggson just smiled. I have no clue which one I need to do.
“That sounds perfectly fine, Glisten. I have all the time in the world.”